Alex (アレックス Arekkusu?) is a playable character in the Tekken series, first appearing in Tekken 2. Alex is a genetically modified dinosaur created for military purposes.
In Tekken 2 and Tekken Tag Tournament, he acted as a palette swap for Roger, sharing his moveset and win animations. When Alex returned years later for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, he received his own character slot and a few altered moves to differentiate him from Roger Jr.. His fourth and most recent playable appearance, in the now defunct Tekken Mobile, marked the first time Alex was playable in a game where a Roger was not.
Biography
Alex is a cloned and genetically modified deinoychus created by Doctor Bosconovitch during Kazuya Mishima's tenure as the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Alex was created by using dinosaur DNA found in fossilized insects, with missing DNA strands being spliced with that of a kangaroo.[1] After his creation, Alex was trained in the art of Commando Wrestling.
Alex has only made one appearance in the main storyline, that being in Tekken 2, although he played no significant role in the plot.
Personality
Alex is intelligent for his kind, and, while he is never shown to be able to speak like Kuma II can, he shows some humanlike characteristics and seems to be able to understand the English language. Despite this, his animalistic tendencies sometimes take over, leading him to behave in a more primitive manner.
Appearance
Alex resembles dromaeosaurid restorations popularised by Jurassic Park. He has green scales covering the majority of his body, with the exception of his lower jaw and underbelly, where his scales are light gray instead. His upper limbs are well-developed and he wears blue boxing gloves over his hands. His upright posture and large size for his species might be attributable to the kangaroo DNA used to create him.
Outfits
- Main article: Alex/Outfits
Story
Tekken 2
The research team developing the strongest animals for military use for Kazuya has created a ferocious life form using dinosaur DNA found in insects trapped in amber. Missing DNA strands were spliced with that of kangaroos. It does not appear to be fully developed yet, as its combat capabilities are identical to that of Roger; however, it has been hypothesized that once Alex reaches maturity, it will be the strongest living creature on the planet.[1]
Tekken 2 - Alex Ending
Ending Description
Alex is studying a rock that appears to have a dinosaur fossil in it. A dinosaur's face flashes on the screen and Alex roars and starts running, gradually gaining speed. He runs up a mountain and, having seen one of his ancestors, happily jumps up into the air, putting one of his fists up.
Other Appearances
Tekken: The Motion Picture
Unlike in the game series, Alex is a genetically resurrected and altered velociraptor made by Doctor Bosconovitch for the Mishima Zaibatsu. It can turn invisible to ambush its prey. Lee releases a pack of Alex clones with the intent of killing Kazuya and using the other fighters as test subjects, but Kazuya slaughters most of them, which scares the rest, who turn invisible and flee. One Alex clone happens to be in full-on camouflage behind Anna as she is telling off Nina. This Alex clone attacks and is implied to kill Anna.
According to Lee's dialogue, they were intended to be used as biological weapons, but their failure in killing Kazuya leads to Heihachi to deem them as nothing but toys.
Tekken Tag Tournament
Alex appeared as a costume swap for Roger in Tekken Tag Tournament.
Tekken Tag Tournament - Alex Ending
Ending Description
Alex is seen playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with Yoshimitsu. His boxing glove forces him to choose "rock" each time. Yoshimitsu, knowing this, picks "paper". He wins 3-0 because of this.
Tekken Tag Special Alliance Partners
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Alex returned as a playable character in the console version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, this time with his own character slot.
Profile
A deinonychus trained by the military. He was created from a combination of dinosaur and Roger's DNA. He is still developing, and is expected to be very powerful once he matures.[3]
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Alex Arcade Ending
Ending Description
A lost Roger Jr. looks around for his mother in the middle of the desert. He imagines her loving face, but then feels sad that he can't find her. He continues to hop forward wearily. Meanwhile, Alex lurks behind a nearby rock, stalking the isolated kangaroo. Alex springs out to attack Roger Jr. from behind; Roger Jr., however, is not taken by surprise, and gives Alex an intense beat-down. Afterwards, Roger Jr. can be seen riding on Alex's shoulders as he continues to search for his mother. After a while, Roger Jr.'s mother finds them. Ecstatic, Roger Jr. jumps up in the air, and Alex also raises his arm in accomplishment. The screen shows a vignette around Alex's face, whose expression changes to one of bemusement, as if he is questioning the situation he has wound up in.
Tekken Mobile
Alex returned as a playable character for Tekken Mobile with his updated design from TTT2. Alex was the only console-exclusive TTT2 character who also appeared in Mobile.
Gameplay
In Tekken 2, Alex can be considered a clone character, as his fighting style is near-identical to Armor King's, although he does gain some unique moves of his own. His moveset, much like Armor King's, provides some offensive options but rewards a more defensive style of play.
His shared moves consist of the powerful throws and grapples, as well as the Animal Uppercut, providing him with some solid attacking options. Of his unique moves, some, such as the Windmill Punch and Tail Tripper, are of little use due to their very short range and low damage output. Others, however, are much more useful; his unblockable Wind-Up Punch deals heavy damage, and has a relatively short start-up animation, placing it alongside Paul's Burning Fist as one of the most useful Unblockable Attacks in the game. He also has a few variations of the Bicycle Kick, some of which can be used for evasion, allowing him to mix up his game to keep an opponent on their toes.
While more of a comic relief character and not necessarily very beginner-friendly, his additional attacks can provide some unique gameplay possibilities, making him a formidable opponent in the hands of a skilled player.
For his gameplay in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, see the gameplay section for Roger Jr..
In Tekken Mobile, Alex gains a Rage Art. His Rage Art has him launch his opponent in the air with an Animal Uppercut followed by a Shrimp Kick into a Wind-Up Punch finisher.
Fighting Style
Alex's fighting style is described as Commando Wrestling. This is a fighting style unique to Alex and Roger, though it incorporates many of the same wrestling techniques used by Armor King.
Moves
Character Relationships
- Doctor Bosconovitch - Alex is a genetically modified experiment made by the doctor.
- Doctor Abel - Around the time of the fourth tournament, there was a rumor that Alex, as well as Roger, had been stolen by him and were being kept in his secret laboratory.[4]
- Kazuya Mishima - During Kazuya's ownership of the Mishima Zaibatsu, he ordered Alex's creation.
- Roger - Fellow experimental modified animal soldier. The remaining DNA needed to create Alex was taken from Roger's kangaroo DNA, so they can technically be considered relatives.
- Roger Jr. and Roger's Wife - Following a failed attempt to prey on Roger Jr., Alex now appears to have a friendly relationship with he and his mother, even sharing meals with them in their residence.
- Yoshimitsu - They both have a connection to Dr. Bosconovitch and can be seen playing a game of rock-paper-scissors in Alex's Tekken Tag Tournament ending (non-canon).
Trivia
General:
- Alex's name is pronounced "Arekkusu" in Japanese, which is very similar to the pronunciation of "Rex" (Rekkusu). As Alex and the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex are both theropods with superficially similar appearances, his name is most likely a play on words.
- Before Tag 2, Alex's fighting stance was identical to King's in Tekken, as well as Armor King's in Tekken and Tekken 2.
- In Tekken 6, Roger Jr. can be customized to resemble Alex in a robotic form. When Alex returned in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, the same robotic costume was given to Alex instead.
- To fight Alex, the player must win Stage 3 with very little health remaining in the final round fought. If this is done correctly, the announcer will say "Great" instead of "K.O.". If the player's character was initially selected with one of the kick buttons, Alex will be the opponent for Stage 4; otherwise, it will be Roger. Neither Alex nor Roger will appear if the player's starting character is Kazuya Mishima.
- Alex, along with Roger, will be unlocked after completing the Arcade Mode following the above requirement.
- If the player wins Stage 3 with the same requirement while using Alex, they will face Kuma on Stage 4 instead.
- Alex and Roger are the only characters whose faces are not shown in the character select screen; their boxing-gloved hands are shown instead.
- Alex shares King's winposes, making him (along with Roger) the only character not to have a unique winpose.
- Alex's sub-boss is Roger.
- Kazuya will never fight Alex as the sub-boss on Stage 8, despite Alex and Roger having the same character slot. Kazuya's sub-boss is always Roger, regardless of which costume is selected.
- In order to unlock Alex, the player must beat the game with six different characters.
- Alex's ending is the same as Roger's, just with Alex in Roger's place.
- Alex appears in Embu 2 along with the other animals, taking the place of Jun.[5]
- In addition to now having his own character slot, Alex now also technically has his own fighting stance, as his hands move slightly faster than Roger Jr.'s.
- In addition to the robotic dinosaur costume mentioned previously, Alex can be customized to resemble Kazuya Mishima in his white suit from the arcade opening cinematic of Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, albeit with a tie.
- Alex's item move allows him to breathe fire to blow an opponent away.
- One of Alex's new outfits makes him resemble an Indominus rex from the 2015 movie Jurassic World.[citation needed]
- Alex's 4-Star appearance has some aesthetic similarities to the Guardian Beast Tyrannosaurus/Tyrannosaur Dinozord from the Sentai series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
- His featured act is called Extinction, a reference to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Other:
- In Street Fighter X Tekken, Alex makes a cameo in the background of the Jurassic Era Research Facility stage.
Gallery
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Tekken 2 Official Japanese Website Profile. English Translation: Tekken Zaibatsu "Tekken & Tekken 2 Character Profiles".
- ^ Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN, Twitter, 4:21 PM Jun 13, 2024. Note that information is not stated in-game and only comes from a database of information provided by series developer Katsuhiro Harada.
- ^ Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U profile.
- ^ Tekken Chronicle, p. 70
- ^ Tekken Tag Tournament - EMBU 2, YouTube.